


dead birds stay together

by fengmins



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Pre-New 52, Stephanie Brown is Batgirl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:48:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27063679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fengmins/pseuds/fengmins
Summary: It’s Jason. Jason, who Steph probably hasn’t said more than 5 words to, and absolutely none of them were outside battle. He’s staring at her, probably. The helmet makes it hard to tell. He cocks his head to the side, and yep, he’s definitely staring.
Relationships: Stephanie Brown & Jason Todd, Stephanie Brown/Cassandra Cain
Comments: 2
Kudos: 99





	dead birds stay together

**Author's Note:**

> listen, i just really want steph and jason being friends. if dc won't do it, i'll do it myself.

Bruce ends the ‘family meeting’ with a short nod and a grapple hook to the next building. Everyone else goes their separate directions shortly after, but Steph stays because _holy shit, she needs a breather._ She just doesn’t want to express that in front of anyone else except maybe Cass. There’s someone that stays, however, and it isn’t Cass.

It’s Jason. Jason, who Steph probably hasn’t said more than 5 words to, and absolutely none of them were outside battle. He’s staring at her, probably. The helmet makes it hard to tell. Maybe there’s something interesting just over her shoulder? She doesn’t have it in her to embarrass herself by checking.  
He cocks his head to the side, and yep, he’s definitely staring. Steph fights the urge to shift nervously, which she counts as a win. 

“So, you’re the other one who died.” Jason says suddenly. Steph manages to keep her surprise to simple tension in her muscles, but that’s as good as jumping to someone trained by Batman. 

Immediately after, though, her surprise turns to exasperation. “Seriously? Do you guys just never give that up?”

“They typically don’t, in my experience.”

“Not like you make it easy with your jokes.” Steph rolls her eyes, before realizing that she just _bantered_ with Red Hood.

Jason laughs, which sounds harsh because of the voice modulator, but Steph thinks it’s genuine. “No, no I don’t. But it is fun.”

He turns his head to the side, listening to some comm. “I’m on it.” He turns back to her. “See you around, blondie.” Then he grapples away.

“That better not be a thing!” Steph yells at his back. A faint chuckle is the only response.

-

It becomes a thing. Them being _friends_ becomes a thing, which is weird. It starts out with banter after fights, then Steph’s breaking into Jason’s safehouses for quick patch ups, then they’re watching movies together and idly chatting.

It’s an easy friendship. Easier than most of her other ones.  
-

They’re sitting on the couch in one of Jason’s safehouses with the TV playing some old movie. Neither of them are really paying any attention to it, instead preferring to gossip, apparently, like old ladies.

“So,” Jason draws out the word and Steph immediately has a feeling of dread. “You had a little dalliance with Timmy, huh?”

She ignores the complicated feelings that rise up beneath her skin, instead trying to play it cool. “A little more than that, but yes. He tell you that?”

“Nope. You two are just very obvious with your vibes.” Jason twirls his spoon around like it’s one of his guns. “You gotta work on that.”

“Our _vibes_?” 

“Yeah, your ‘we broke up, it was bad, we don’t know how to talk to each other’ vibes.” 

Steph tries to think of a comeback to that, but unfortunately, he’s right. She just sighs instead. “We’re working on it. I’m completely over him by now, so it’s just-“ She waves her hand as a poor explanation.

“You got a new crush? ‘Cause that’s the only way being friends with your ex ever even remotely works.” Jason says it casually, but catches Steph’s blush and how she avoids looking at him. “Oh my God, you _do_ have a new crush. Now you have to tell me.”

“I don’t _have_ to tell you anything.” She glares at him petulantly and sinks down more into the couch. “And it’s not a crush, it’s a relationship. Wait, why did I tell you that?”

Jason’s laughter echoes throughout the sparsely furnished apartment.

-

Steph hears the sound of heavy footsteps coming from the hallway of her apartment building and sighs, readying herself for the ensuing conversation. She even left the door unlocked just because she knows what’s coming after she kissed Cass in public. Jason walks in, temporarily shocked at the lack of resistance, before heading over to where she’s sitting on the kitchen counter. He stands in front of her and crosses his arms, widening his stance. It would frighten anyone who isn’t used to him, but luckily, Steph is.

“Cass? My sister? Really?” His tone goes high pitched at some points and it’s enough to make her want to laugh. She doesn’t, because that would make things _worse_ , but it’s close.

“Hello to you too, Jay.”

“My sister.” 

“If she were here, she’d probably punch you for being like this. And then call you adorable because honestly, this is kinda cute.”

Jason stiffens for a moment, obviously off-put by her nonchalance and also being called _cute._

“I’m not _being_ cute,” He tries to fight it and then sighs, hopping up on the counter next to her. “Seriously though, first Timbo and now Cass? Are you trying to work your way through the family?”

Steph scrunches up her nose in a look of disgust. “No way. Those two are literally like, the only ones I’d wanna date.”

“Well, now I’m offended.”

“Good.” she smirks.

Jason gasps with false offense. “I don’t have to stand this type of slander. I’m leaving.” He moves to get up, but Steph pulls him back down.

“Come on, you know you’re my best friend.” she sing-songs.

Jason sighs and puts an arm around her shoulders. “You’re damn lucky I am.”

-

The first time Batgirl and Red Hood team up by themselves, Steph ends up with 8 stitches and a _very_ worried Jason. Too worried for the situation, but she allows it and only nearly doesn’t call him a mother hen. 

After stitching her up, Jason _very unnecessarily_ picks her up and brings her to the couch. He reaches forward to grab the TV remote and turns on some random reality show. When he leans back into the couch, she decides to try and get into a more comfortable position. Doing so results in lots of elbows in Jason’s ribs and by the time she’s settled with her legs curled up on the couch and head in his lap, he’s looking exasperated at her. She’s used to the look enough that she just grins up at him.

-

They must have fallen asleep at some point because when Steph opens her eyes at the disturbance in the apartment, Jason’s still asleep with a hand cupped over her stitches and the TV’s playing infomercials. The disturbance turns out to just be Cass, looking relieved that they’re both in one piece, probably.

Steph waves at her dopily because she’s still half asleep and she’s _allowed_ to be dopey with her girlfriend. Cass waves back before signing something that Steph can’t see because of the lack of light. Cass must realize this because she flips on the lamp next to the couch. 

_‘No report.’_ Cass signs. _‘Worried.’_

Steph curses internally. They’d gotten so wrapped up in everything they forgot to check in after patrol. At least Cass had come to check before everyone started freaking out.

 _‘Sorry,’_ Steph signs. _‘Forgot. Won’t happen again.’_

 _‘Probably will.’_ Cass is smiling slightly as she signs though, so Steph knows she’s not too bothered by it. _‘Okay?’_

Steph’s not sure how to sign stitches, so she points to the spot where she was stabbed, still partially covered by Jason’s hand, and then at Jason. 

_‘Yes. Helped.’_

_‘Good.’_ Cass comes to the front of the couch and Steph leans up as much as she can for a kiss.

“I’m right here, you know.” Jason’s voice is a sleepy grumble, and of _course_ this is when he wakes up. His eyes still aren’t open though, so he might have been awake all this time and he’s just a shit. 

Steph sticks her tongue out at him, an empty gesture that he can’t see, and pulls Cass back into a kiss partially to spite him, partially because she just really likes kissing her. 

“You realize I’m very capable of causing you harm right now, right?”

“You wouldn’t.” 

“Yeah?” He moves the hand not on her side and pokes her on the uninjured side. She shrieks and tries to move away, but he keeps her still, which is probably a good idea because if she moved the way she wanted, she would’ve put pressure on the stitches.

“Be nice.” Cass finally chimes in and Jason half-opens one eye.

“You staying?”

“Yes, staying.” She crawls onto the couch and curls up on Jason’s other side and Steph gasps dramatically. 

“No! You gotta be on my side!”

“There _is_ no your side, blondie. You’re taking up all the space.”

Steph pouts until Cass does that really nice thing she does where she runs her fingers through Steph’s hair and scratches lightly. After that, everything settles down and she drifts off to sleep.


End file.
